What is Shawgaw?Shawgaw is an approximate English pronunciation of a curious Hebrew word found in the Bible in Proverbs 5:18-19 ...and rejoice in the wife of your youth ...let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be exhilarated always with her love. Here (in the NASB version) it is translated as 'exhilarated'; in other translations it appears as ‘ravished’, ‘captivated’ or 'intoxicated', but it's actually a teensy bit stronger than any of these - it occurs 21 times in the Bible, and this is the only place where it is recommended as a good thing. It generally means ‘to err’ or ‘to go astray’; in common terms, perhaps, ‘to go off the rails’. Go off the rails? It seems to be suggesting that a man should be totally bonkers about his wife. And, given the context, the word 'bonkers' is used advisedly! Shawgaw is the subject of a forthcoming book by AJ Dorset. Unfortunately, he's been trying to write it for 20 years and the subject - and its ramifications - just keeps getting bigger... |